UFC President Dana White, a longtime friend of former President Donald Trump, is set to speak at next week's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, according to the Wall Street Journal. White's speech will reportedly come right before Trump's, where he will accept the GOP nomination for this year's election.
UFC President Dana White will reportedly deliver a speech at next week's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, moments before former President Donald Trump accepts the GOP nomination for this year's election, according to the Wall Street Journal.
White, who has been a vocal supporter of Trump, has spoken at several Trump rallies in the past, including the 2016 RNC in Cleveland. He has also been a frequent guest at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
UFC President Dana White to Deliver Speech at Republican National Convention
The announcement of White's speech comes as no surprise, as he has been a close friend of Trump for many years. White has even praised Trump for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that he "did a great job."
Trump, for his part, has been a regular attendee at UFC events. He was most recently at UFC 302 in Newark for the Islam Makhachev-Dustin Poirier bout, just two days after he was found guilty on all counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
UFC President Dana White to Deliver Speech at Republican National Convention
Prior to that, Trump was at UFC 299 in Miami, just hours after a rally in Georgia where he gave White praise.
"Dana White has done a great job. I hope he doesn't run for office against me. He's done a fantastic job. It's an easier business than politics," Trump said at the March 9 rally.
UFC President Dana White to Deliver Speech at Republican National Convention
UFC fighter Igor Severino was suspended nine months and fined after biting his opponent during a fight, according to a report.
Severino bit his opponent, Michal Oleksiejczuk, during their featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 209 in Las Vegas on July 9. The fight was stopped in the second round, and Severino was disqualified.
The Nevada Athletic Commission announced the suspension and fine on July 11. Severino will not be eligible to compete again until April 9, 2024.
This is not the first time Severino has been sanctioned for biting an opponent. In 2018, he was suspended for six months after biting his opponent, Daniel Teymur, during a fight in the Polish MMA promotion KSW.
White has also compared the UFC to the election process in the United States.
"It's the closest thing I can see really reflective of the election process that we have in this country, the UFC fights," Trump said at a rally in Georgia in March. "That may be a little tamer than the election business."
White's speech at the RNC is sure to be controversial, given his close ties to Trump. However, it is also likely to be well-received by Trump's supporters, who have long been drawn to the UFC's brand of violence and spectacle.
Only time will tell what White will say in his speech, but it is sure to be one of the more memorable moments of the RNC.
